History in the World Cup:
Switzerland have qualified for 5 of the last 7 world cups , which includes the last three editions . They were knocked out in the group stages in 2010 and the Round of 16 in 2006 and 2014. They have given a good account of themselves in the last 3 editions with their win over eventual champions Spain in 2010 particularly memorable.
Current Form:
Their recent form is impressive with 8 wins , 1 draw and 1 loss in their last 10 games ,scoring 22 and conceding 4. However , their only difficult opponents in this time period are Portugal whom they lost to and Northern Ireland. They have experienced defenders in Lichtsteiner , Rodriguez and of course , former Gunner Johan Djourou combined with an exciting forward line consisting of players like Shaqiri,Breel Embolo and Haris Seferovic. This is certainly not a squad to be taken lightly and could prove to be tricky opponents on their day.
Squad(Provisional):
GOALKEEPERS: Roman Burki (Borussia Dortmund), Gregor Kobel (1899 Hoffenheim), Yvon Mvogo (Leipzig), Yann Sommer (Borussia Mönchengladbach).
DEFENDERS: Manuel Akanji (Borussia Dortmund), Johan Djourou (Antalyaspor), Nico Elvedi (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Michael Lang (Basel), Stephan Lichtsteiner (Juventus), Jacques-Francois Moubandje (Toulouse), Ricardo Rodriguez (Milan), Fabian Schaer (Deportivo La Coruna), Silvan Widmer (Udinese).
MIDFIELDERS: Valon Behrami (Udinese), Blerim Dzemaili (Bologna), Edimilson Fernandes West Ham), Gelson Fernandes (Eintracht Frankfurt), Remo Freuler (Atalanta), Xherdan Shaqiri (Stoke City), Granit Xhaka (Arsenal), Steven Zuber (1899 Hoffenheim), Denis Zakaria (Borussia Mönchengladbach).
FORWARDS: Josip Drmic (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Breel Embolo (Schalke), Mario Gavranovic (Dinamo Zagreb), Haris Seferovic (Benfica).
Key Player:
Xherdan Shaqiri: The exciting 24-year old forward who plays for Stoke City in England has a point to prove after their relegation from the top flight. His pace , skill , shooting ability and low centre of gravity make him a difficult proposition for any defence. It is easily forgotten that he already has two Bundesliga titles and one Champions League title under his belt. The former Bayern Munich right winger has been capped 51 times and has scored 17 goals . He reportedly has a 12 million buyout clause and will look to impress potential suitors by showing off his range of skills in Russia.
Current Rankings:
FIFA:
Current - 6
Highest - 3
ELO:
Current - 14
Highest - 9
